Coast Guard transports female tubing rafter after fall

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Coast Guard Station Buffalo medically evacuated an 18-year-old female who fell off a tubing raft pulled by a 24-foot Bayliner in the outer harbor near the Buffalo River at approximately 5:30 p.m., Tuesday.

“She couldn’t feel her legs, they were tingling quite a bit. She was conscious,” said Boatswain’s mate 3rd Class Erron Luetke.

Luetke and his 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement crew pulled alongside and tied up to the Bayliner to recover Nicole Decker, who was wearing a life jacket.

“I and another crewmember got into the water and put her on board,” said Luetke.

The SPC-LE crew transferred the Buffalo native to awaiting Emergency Medical Services on shore at the Erie Basin Marina.

Station Buffalo was conducting two-boat training in the outer harbor when a lookout crewmember observed a pleasure craft dead-in-the-water with a person on board flagging them down for help.

The Coast Guard recommends all boaters and water sport enthusiasts to wear a life jacket at all times and have a marine band radio on board set to channel 16.